I've never needed a measuring tape to go hunting before but a calculator is sometimes needed.
Tine count is generally the way to determine legal/illegal here. Parts of season any buck, or 4 point, or spike, etc.
In VA it's "Antler or Antlerless" Your tags are marked accordingly. In many counties the antlerless deer season goes longer and fewer restrictions. Harvest an Antlered deer; you typically need to harvest an antlerless deer before another antlered can be.
The TX antler restrictions is only 61 out of 254 Texas counties, creates more opportunities for a hunter to shoot a trophy buck. The restrictions also leaves better genetics out there to breed (population of 5 million deer). In the early years, these restrictions pissed a lot of folks off, cause you can't eat them antlers. But today now you can shoot a bigger body & antler buck(s) in those same restricted counties. Research has shown its overall better for the deer and now the hunter.
Like I said, No antler restrictions here in South Tx. This is a 5 deer County, no more than 3 bucks. I can almost shoot a trophy buck (weighing in 180 to 210lbs) on 70 acres low fence about every other year here. But, I don't, I like to leave that opportunity to one of my guest or allow it to continue to breed.
As a land owner, I like prefer to implement those same 13in antler restrictions here, excluding cull bucks( no or tiny brawl tines, bad genetic antler structure etc). When I allow someone to hunt here, I tell them what they can or cannot shoot, if I don't manage the resources(Texas owns the wildlife) you bet the state will eventually come in and tell land owners what they can and can't shoot/do.
Last year and this year, it's been all cull bucks, and there are some really nice bucks out there. I will only shoot a trophy buck this week(last week to hunt big bucks) if it's a 160 inch B&C buck, something bigger than what I already shot.
Bow Deer Season here September 28, 2024 to November 1, 2024.
General Deer Season November 2, 2024 to January 19, 2025.
Special Late Deer Season January 20–February 2, 2025. (127 days, No blackout dates).
If you have a longer deer season than me, I'll buy you a beer!!